Megan Khung report was painful to read, but offers hard lessons

Her case must spur resolve to find and fix gaps in child protection system

- Theresa Tan

I found it painful to read what an independent review panel had found on Megan Khung, a four-year-old girl who died in February 2020 after suffering more than a year of abuse.

The account of her injuries inflicted by her mother and the woman’s then boyfriend set out in the report, and the series of missed opportunities to save her life, stirred dismay and anger.

Take, for instance, two calls made by Beyond Social Services (BSS) in September 2019 to the Child Protective Service (CPS), which comes under the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). BSS runs the preschool that Megan attended and had raised concerns about her safety.

Yet the calls did not get the attention they deserved.

The CPS officer involved failed to probe further to better assess the case and even neglected to log the calls - a breach of procedure that meant supervisors never had a chance to step in.

Then in January 2020, a police officer assessed the case as low-risk after Megan’s grandmother made a police report. The officer tried to locate Megan’s mother for about two weeks and failed to do so, but did not inform her supervisor.

This failure to follow processes prevented timely and appropriate action when the police report was made, the panel said in its report released on Oct 23.

Two police officers have been disciplined, and one of them has since resigned. The MSF has also begun a disciplinary investigation into the CPS officer’s actions.

The panel found a lack of clear understanding and communication among the agencies involved — a breakdown in communication, coordination and action that proved tragic.

HARD LESSONS LEARNT

But beyond the feelings of shock and anger, this case ought to spur an urgent resolve to find and fix the gaps in the child protection system.